


The Strong Must Take Care of the Weak

by iZombi



Series: Gloryhammer One shots and Headcannons [11]
Category: Gloryhammer (Band)
Genre: 5 lovable boys taking care of their friends, Care giving, Comfort, Fever, Fluff, Gen, General Discomfort, M/M, Ser Proletious is alive, Zargothrax is NOT evil, and the group catches a virus, bros being bros, flu-like symptoms, getting sick, its flu season, raise in body temperature, sweating, taking it easy, tears maybe shed, temporary loss in voice, that jumps from one person to another, the group live together in a house of sorts, they all take turns taking care of each other, they live near a village, treating someone who’s sick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:07:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28703391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iZombi/pseuds/iZombi
Summary: The boys are all living their lives comfortably together in their home, a cabin that is located near a village and also near some woods, the five experience their first winter together, and with it, brings its struggles as well as an unwelcomed gift that jumps from one person to another.
Relationships: Angus Mcfife XIII (Gloryhammer) / Ralathor (Gloryhammer), Angus Mcfife XIII (Gloryhammer) / Ser Proletious (Gloryhammer), Angus Mcfife XIII (Gloryhammer) / The Hootsman (Gloryhammer), Angus Mcfife XIII (Gloryhammer) / Zargothrax (Gloryhammer), Ralathor (Gloryhammer) / The Hootsman (Gloryhammer), Ralathor (Gloryhammer) / Zargothrax (Gloryhammer), Ralathor (Gloryhammer)/ Ser Proletious (Gloryhammer), The Hootsman (Gloryhammer) / Ser Proletious (Gloryhammer), The Hootsman (Gloryhammer) / Zargothrax (Gloryhammer)
Series: Gloryhammer One shots and Headcannons [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2072421
Comments: 14
Kudos: 5





	1. And so it begins…

**Author's Note:**

> I love these types of stories and almost every fandom that I’ve been in has had it, so today I bless you all with the same gift.

“A Storm’s coming, lads…” speaks the Hootsman, as he enters the cabin.

“Really, now?” Ser Proletious asks, eyebrows raised as he puts down his book and walks over to a window, looking out at the slowly greying sky, and its thick grey clouds that slowly start to form.

“Hmmm… yes, it appears that he’s right…” Ser Proletious confirms what Hoots said.

“Then well need supplies…” states Zargothrax who’s in the kitchen at the moment, whipping up tonight’s dinner.

“I could-” Ralathor is cut off before he can even finish, “I want to go! I’ll go get supplies!” Angus shouts excitedly from his seat, already getting up and running off to get his coat.

“Splendid, then you’ll need to fetch these for me…” Zargothrax hands Angus a note containing a list of items that he’ll need to buy, and a fairly large coin purse as he passes the kitchen, heading to the backdoor and leaves.

“Always so eager to please, that one…” states Ralathor as he makes himself comfortable in his chair again, leaning back.

Ser Proletious chuckles “He’s young, let him be…” he says as he pats his friend’s shoulder.

\- - -

As Angus makes quick work of the list of things needed to be purchased, quickly making it to the end he over hears a conversation behind him.

_“It looks like it might snow…”_

_“Huh? How can you tell?”_

_“The temperature’s dropping…”_

Angus suddenly takes notice of the sudden change in temperature too.

_“Come, let’s stock up on some medicine, these times always bring illness…”_

_“Oh! Then let’s buy some ingredients for soup too!”_

Angus nods, as if the persons where speaking to him too and with the remaining money as well as some of his own, he purchases a substantial amount of medicine and medical supplies that he knows would come in handy in case of illness or injury, he also buys what he knows would go well in a soup.

As Angus walks home, he’s shivering as the temperature has dropped quicker than anyone could imagine, he’s surprised that even his thick winter coat is failing in keeping him warm.

He notices an old man selling fire wood and remembers that at home they have a fire place, “Sir!” Angus shouts at him.

“H-How much fo-for, four ba-bags of f-f-fire w-wood?” He manages to ask, despite shivering.

The old man hands them to him “Free of charge son, you best get home, it’s getting dark and you’ll need them”

“B-B-But-!”

“Don’t _‘but’_ me boy, go, off with ye, get home, lest you get sick!”

Angus nods and takes the wood, rushing to get home now.

\- - -

Three loud bangs at the door startle Ralathor from his book.

“He’s back!” Zargothrax shouts, too busy making the final preparations on tonight’s meal to tend to the door.

“Got it!” Hoots runs to the door and opens it, he finds Angus shivering from the cold and ushers him in first, “Go, warm up, I’ve got the rest…”

Angus nods and heads off, desperately breathing hot air into his numb fingers.

Ser Proletious sees him and rushes over to his side, blanket already in hand and wrapping him up, “Divines above, child…” he speaks, concern lacing his words, he starts to warm Angus up by giving him a vigorous back rub with his hands, hoping that the friction will build up enough heat.

Angus’ body starts to warm up, “Tha-Tha-Tha-“ he stops himself “Th-Thank you!” he shouts to his friend “So cold outside!” he wines.

“Oh, I can imagine…” Ser Proletious says, he stops the massage and moves in front on Angus, cupping his face with his hands, warm hands warming up the other’s cold cheeks.

Angus melts into the touch, welcoming the warmth.

Ralathor approaches the duo and places another blanket on Angus’s legs, as he notices how he’s bouncing them both up and down, trying to get warmth.

“Angus you need to better prepare next time…” he says simply as he sits next to Angus and watches the two.

Ser Proletious moves his hands onto Angus’ hands, warming them up with whatever warmth he has left.

Angus sighs, the sensation of cold finally leaving his body, he’s regaining his warmth much quicker now, and is even beginning to sweat a little. “Thank you so much…” he smiles at Ser Proletious.

The other simply chuckles and nods back at him.

“I mean what were you thinking…” Ralathor frowns at Angus, he turns to face the wizard. Angus can tell through the façade that he’s very worried for him and not at all angry with him.

“Your right… I’m sorry…” he admits sheepishly

Ralathor rolls his eyes but embraces his friend, “Feel better?”

Angus nods “Yup” he smiles “Better in fact”

“Good” Ser Proletious says, and sits on the other side of Angus “Don’t worry me like that again, boy…” he too now reprimanding Angus

“H-Hey! I’m not little!” he protests

To which both men laugh at, leaving Angus pouting, his arms crossed at his chest.

Zargothrax and Hoots approach the three “I see you also bought a lot of extra stuff too…” he says, holding a small jar of medicine “Medicine, firewood, and more food… Where’d you find the money for this extra stuff?” he questions.

“I used what money was left over from the pouch you gave me and my own for the medicine and food, while the firewood was free, an old man gave it to me…” Angus explains.

Hoots and Zargothrax nod and hum in agreement “Alright” Zargothrax finished

“Well, I’ll put what’s left away then…” Hoots says

“Oh, no need, you’ll do that later, dinner’s ready, come on, let’s eat!” Zargothrax exclaims.

Everyone gets up and makes their way to the dinner table, their stomachs eagerly awaiting tonight’s delicious meal.

\- - -

As Hoots put away the ‘groceries’, Zargothrax quickly cleaned the kitchen and the dining room.

Angus lay curled up in a ball, currently wrapped in a blanket, sleeping on one of the many couches they had in the living room, with Ser Proletious and Ralathor sitting off to the side of the room, quietly reading their books.

Outside, night had quickly fallen on the land as well as the storm, thankfully it was a snowstorm as those people predicted earlier, the scenery around the village quickly being blanketed by white.

All was quiet and peaceful.

A cough.

Well, outside at least.

Another cough, this was the second one in a row, and they were coming from Angus, who was currently sleeping, or at least resting on the couch.

The Hootsman came down from the stairs, and as he walked down, Angus’ resting form caught his attention, he stopped and watched for a moment. He could tell that Angus was breathing a bit harder now, and he could see a sheen of sweat forming on his forehead.

He frowned and made his way down the remaining steps, quietly approaching Angus, he touched his sweaty forehead and immediately felt the rush of heat.

Oh no, this is bad.

Hoots bit his lip and with his other hand he felt his own forehead to compare heat, and he noticed that Angus was much, much hotter than he should be, more so than for someone who was bundled up in a thin blanket.

“Damn it” Hoots quietly cursed and turned Angus’ sleeping form over, removing the blanket for a moment before placing it on Angus’ legs, he looked over at everything around him, searching for something.

He spotted a wooden fan that Ser Proletious had bought from a merchant some days ago and grabbed it, he gently opened it, and walked back to Angus and began fanning him.

“What are you doing?” Asks Ser Proletious

“Kid’s sick…” is all Hoots says, as he fan’s his sleeping friend, he’s trying to help lower his body temperature.

Ser Proletious gets up, when he’s close to the two, in disbelief, he places a hand on Angus’ forehead and feels the same heat that Hoots did, he compares the heat with his own and…

Yep.

He’s sick and he’s already got a raging fever.

Ser Proletious runs to the kitchen and grabs a clean rag and looks at Zargothrax, “Can you conjure ice?” he asks

“I-… yes… why?” Zargothrax raises an eyebrow in question

“Angus’ is sick and needs to cool down, his body temperature is too high…” he explains

Zargothrax instead, wasting no time, grabs a cup, fills it with water and he places a finger inside, instantly cooling the water to just above freezing, “Dip the rag in this, it’ll help…” he hands it to Ser Proletious who does as he’s told and then runs off with the rag.

He places it on Angus’ forehead and both he and Hoots immediately notice Angus relax.

“When’d you think this started?” Proletious asks

“Probably when Angus came home shivering, he must’ve gotten cold and then caught a virus from someone at the market…” Hoots speculates

“It’s probable…” Zargothrax confirms, he’s leaning on the doorway on the kitchen and living room, both he and Ralathor are watching what’s happening and thinking of what to do.

“You mentioned Angus bought medicine” Ralathor mentions aloud

“Yes, I can give him some, but he’d have to be awake for it…” Zargothrax says

Hoots looks down at Angus again and lightly pats his friend’s cheek, no response, he tries to gently squeeze his arm, nothing, a gentle shake, same response. “Seems he’s already out cold” Hoots states.

“Then take in upstairs, he’ll have medicine when he awakes…” Ralathor explains, already rising from his seat.

“Someone should watch over him, in case he wakes up.” Ser Proletious explains

“I’ll do it, besides I can move in my mattress if I have to, to Angus’ room and sleep on the floor until he wakes up.

“Sounds like a plan, I’ll go work on the medicine, when it’s done I’ll give it to you and tell you how much you should give him.” Zargothrax explains, already heading to the kitchen.

“I’ll help” Ralathor goes after him

“I got it…” Hoots says, as he gently picks up Angus, bridal style.

“Take care of him” Ser Proletious says, worried.

Hoots nods at him.

\- - -

With nightfall already in full play, everyone else are in their respective rooms already fast asleep, with the only exception being Hoots who’s resting on the floor of Angus’ room, on his mattress, with a small vile of medicine, water, and a perma-chilled wet rag in a bowl for Angus at the ready, should he need them.

Hoots heard Angus groan and then cough, a voice followed “H-Huh…?” Hoots gets up from the floor and approaches Angus, standing at the side of his bed, “You ok?”

Angus thinks he’s dreaming, “Hoots? What are you doing in my room?” his voice is weak and trembling.

“Don’t speak…” he says, placing a gentle hand on his chest “You’ve got a fever and are sick, I’m staying with you to help give you some medicine, which remind me…” he says, “You should take your dose, right now…”

Angus nods, at the information he’s been given, not fully processing it, since he’s so tired, “Alright, sit up for me…” Hoots gently helps Angus sit up on his bed, once he’s been sufficiently propped up, he goes over to reach for the medicine.

He grabs a spoon and fills it as much as Zargothrax instructed him, and feeds the three spoonsful of the liquid to Angus, when he’s done he quickly hands him water, which the prince greedily chugs down, ridding his throat of the foul bitter taste.

“Ok, ready to go back to sleep?” Angus nods, Hoots gently helps him back in the bed, he grabs the perma-chilled wet rag from the bowl and places it on Angus’ head, “Here, this’ll help…” Angus makes a sound that Hoots interprets as ‘thanks’.

He smiles sadly at his friend and sighs, heading to bed as well.

\- - -

In the morning, when Hoots wakes up, he rolls over from his bed and notices Angus sitting up, he seems half alert, if not better than yesterday.

“H-Hey, buddy…” Hoots begins, voice gentle if not a bit panicked, he should be resting, not up. He approaches him “How’d you feel?” he asks

Angus looks at him, and coughs a bit, his throat feels raw and very dry “Good” he manages in a weak and hoarse voice.

Hoots nods, “Yeah you’re starting to look like it, but maybe not yet… Come on, let’s take your next dose of medicine” he says, vile already in hand “Where’s the rag by the way?” he asks as he fills the first spoonful.

Angus wordlessly hands him the still chilled wet rag, and opens his mouth and takes the spoonful, and then the next three. “Good, so…” Hoots begins, as he puts the rag and medicine down. “How do you feel about food? Or do you want to rest?” he asks.

Angus makes a motion with his hand towards his mouth, [FOOD], he nods his head, Hoots chuckles “Alright, let’s go downstairs, and I think it’s for the best that you don’t talk much, that way your voice can return to normal…” Hoots explains as he helps Angus out of bed, and getting him dressed into something much warmer than his sleeping clothes, together they head downstairs.

Ser Proletious is the first to spot them from the dining room, he momentarily stops eating his breakfast, “He should be resting!” he protests, “Boys’ hungry!” Hoots declares, which makes Angus quietly snicker.

When Angus finally gets to sit down at the dinner table, he wordlessly greets the other three who were eating their breakfasts. Ser Proletious cleans close to Angus, and places his hand on his head, and notices that he’s significantly cooler than before, but still very warm.

“How’re you feeling?” is a question that his friends all collectively ask him.

Angus manages a small nod and a thumb up, Hoots places in front of Angus and himself their breakfast plates.

“You had us worried, Angus…” Ralathor comments “Coming home like that, shivering and then just passing out with a fever?” he grunts in frustration, stopping himself from saying any more, he takes a bite of his food.

“Ralathor’s right, Angus, you did worry us” Zargothrax adds, he loots to Hoots, “Has he been taking his medication?” Hoots gives him a solid thumb up as he eats, too hungry to talk.

“As instructed?”

another thumb up.

“Well, if you continue to take the medication and finish it, you’ll get better in no time, thereafter, you’ll be under strict ‘no nonsense’ rules and guidelines until we can get a doctor to stop by the house and give you a proper checkup” Zargothrax explains, to which Angus nods solemnly and eats what he can of his breakfast.

\- - -

It is now midday and the snowing outside has stopped, it’s snowed a considerable amount and Ralathor is outside with a flame spell making quick work of the snow that blocks both front and back entrances and any pathways.

Angus is with Hoots in the living room, laying by a roaring fire, he’s already taken his fifth dose of medicine and is currently relaxing as he doesn’t want to go to his bed.

_‘Hoots seems to be considerable tired’_ Angus analyzes as he looks over to his sleeping friend, who’s sitting some ways off, but still near to him.

Ralathor re-enters the home and takes off his coat, “How’s the snow?” Proletious asks, “out of the way, for now at least… given that it doesn’t snow again”.

Proletious nods and looks over to Hoots, “Looks like he’s exhausted…”

Zargothrax hums in agreement, he’d just come from the kitchen as he takes a seat near Angus and Hoots “Yes… seems so, he probably stayed up late worrying over you…” his attention turned to Angus, who seemed to shrink as the mention of that.

“He’s just worried, is all…” Proletious explains

“True, he and Angus are the closest amongst all of us…” Ralathor mentions

Zargothrax sighs “You must take better care of yourself Angus, we’re all worried over you…” he gently reminds the prince

Angus nods and silently focuses on getting better and stronger for his friend’s sake.

\- - -

When Angus was guided to bed yet again by Hoots, he noticed how tired he looked, and he thought that perhaps Zargothrax was right and maybe he did stay up late and worrying over him.

Once the two were in their beds, they both drifted off to sleep.

With Hoots waking up only twice throughout the night to give Angus his medicine.

\- - -

The following day, Hoots woke up, excruciatingly tired, more so than yesterday, ‘ _I couldn’t have had gone to bed that late? Could I?’_ he thinks, as he tried to get himself up from the mattress.

A wave of dizziness overtakes him, and for a moment he almost falls back onto his pillow, he forces himself to get up, gently.

Once he’s made it, he notices that Angus’ bed is empty, he turns his head to where the vile of medicine should be and that too is missing.

‘ _Where is he?!’_ Hoots thinks in almost a half panic and heads downstairs, carefully making his way down as the dizziness steadily grows.

“Look! Guys! I’m better!” he hears Angus exclaim

“Impossible” Ser Proletious comments

Hoots makes his way down the stairs and shuffles over to where he hears he voices.

“Looks like he’s right, his body temperature has lowered, and his throat isn’t sore anymore, neither can I see any sign of muscular pain…” Ser Proletious explains to whom Hoots thinks are the wizards.

He hears Zargothrax hum in thought “Hmm… well, if that’s the case then that’s good I suppose but you should still take it easy and take your medication, Angus, as none of us would want a flare up of whatever it is that you’ve contracted…” Zargothrax explains thoughtfully.

Hoots finally reaches his destination and when he sees Angus standing upright and looking as healthy as he could be, he sighs in relief, “Oh thank the divines…”

That was the last thing anyone heard Hoots say, before he collapsed to the ground.


	2. Another victim is claimed…

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This time, it's The Hootsman who contracts the virus that Angus had, how will he deal with it? and How will his friends aid him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We continue from where we last left off with Hoots falling ill...

Well, he didn’t actually collapse to the ground, you see…

Zargothrax had turned just in time to see the taller blonde man faint, his eyes widened, and just as time seemed to slow all around him, he extended his hands and managed to catch him just in time, preventing further injury.

“Is he alright?!” shouted Proletious.

“Hoots!” Both Ralathor and Angus exclaimed in unison.

Zargothrax, with the use of a weight-lightening spell, was able to better pick up the man and quickly take him to one of the couches, and gently lay him down. He examined the blonde, he could tell that he was getting hotter by the minute, and was currently breathing heavily, “Seems he’s contracted what Angus has…” he spoke solemnly, and quickly worked on getting Hoots cooled down and his breathing under control.

“So, it’s contagious?” Ser Proletious turns to face both Angus and Ralathor

“Yes, apparently” Ralathor affirms

Angus swallows thickly and looks over to Hoots, his anxiety slowly rising “Will… will he be ok?” he asks Zargothrax who is now tending to Hoots.

“Well, my best guess is, if it’s the same thing that you have, then yes, he should pull through just fine…. But…” he stops himself for a moment “If it’s worse, then-” Ralathor cuts him

“It won’t get worse, Angus, he’s very strong, stronger than any of us, he’ll pull through, trust me…” he speaks and he gently grabs Angus’ hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. The last thing that Angus needs right now is to worry, it could make his illness flare up again and make it worse.

Angus nods, and sighs, still exhausted from the sickness he looks over to his friends, “I think… I think I should go lay down…” he admits.

Ralathor nods, “Come on, let’s go… let’s leave them to it…” he guides Angus upstairs to his room, “Proletious, Zargothrax!” He calls out from the top of the stairs

“Yes?” they shout back

“I’ll move Hoot’s mattress back to his room and prep it for when we put him in there…” he explains and he gets back answers of acknowledgment.

Back downstairs, Zargothrax is just finishing up to tending to Hoots, he’s successfully calmed the barbarian’s breathing and managed to keep the heat down.

“We need you and Ralathor to be the healthiest right now, I can take care of him” Proletious explains

“I- You sure? I mean I can easily-“ Proletious cuts him off by placing a hand on his shoulder and a stern look.

Zargothrax nods, “Alright, if you insist…” he sighs, “But who’ll take care of you when you’re sick?” he asks

“Ralathor I’d imagine since he knows that you’re better than him at healing magic, so he’d want you to be the last to get sick…” Zargothrax nods and sighs again.

This wasn’t exactly how the boys imagined that they’d be spending their first winter together.

\- - -

Nightfall came once more, and Angus was already fast asleep with his final dosage of medicine of the day given to him three hours prior.

Ser Proletious insisted on being in Hoot's room all night, deeming that he wouldn’t be sleeping much, Ralathor still demanded he at least brings with him a blanket and a pillow in case he’d fallen asleep.

Proletious caved into his friends’ demands and that is where he currently was, in The Hootsman’s room, currently reading a book by candlelight to keep his idle mind at bay.

A groan stirred Proletious out of his book, he quietly got up from his chair and approached Hoots, he placed his hand on the other’s forehead and with the other hand on his own, comparing temperatures.

“damn it…” Hoots spoke, voice already hoarse “Guess I got sick too, huh?” he chuckled weakly, a wracking cough following afterward.

“Easy…” Ser Proletious tried to ease his friend, “You shouldn’t speak, come, let’s take your medicine…” he helped him sit up.

Hoots cleared his sore throat “Sacrificing your health to take care of me, why old friend?”

He hushed his friend yet again, “We need Ralathor and Zargothrax to be strong, as wizards they’ll be able to provide much more help than we currently can, and until Angus gets better, their all we have…” He explains, voice low enough for Hoots to hear but not loud enough to wake anyone nearby.

Hoots nods as he quietly takes his medicine.

“Rest, we can talk more in the morning…” Proletious eases his friend back into the bed.

\- - -

When Proletious awakes in the morning, he finds himself asleep at a desk, he sighs and stretches his sore muscles, he immediately notices the muscle fatigue and the lack of energy, ‘ _Exactly as I feared…’_ he sighed, tomorrow he’d end up facing the brunt of the illness at its fullest.

For now, at least, he was still strong enough to care for his friend, so he forced himself with all he could muster to continue on.

He walked over to check on Hoots, who seemed to be a bit more alert than yesterday, “Well, at least this ‘bug’ only lasts three days… good to see you’re better…” he says, a tired smile on his lips.

“You look worse for wear my friend…” Hoots says, raising an eyebrow, his voice still hoarse.

“Enough about me, let’s focus on you…” He motioned for Hoots to sit up, to which he did, and gave him his medication.

“Tell me, has anything changed?”

“Besides the cough, the hoarseness in my voice, lightheadedness, and a dizzy-spell?” Hoots asked, “Not much, but I _do_ feel _slightly_ better…”

“That’s good… the medicine is working and your immune system is fighting it off…” Proletious examined, his eyes closed and leaning back into the chair.

He opened his eyes, “Hungry?”

Hoots shook his head, “I think not, I think I’ll skip eating for today…”

Ralathor opened the door “No you’re not, I’ll ask Zargothrax to make you some soup.” He explained a light frown on his face

“Oh? Tuning into our conversation?” Hoots teased

Ralathor rolled his eyes and said nothing more, he closed the door behind him and left the two alone.

“I should go downstairs and get something to eat, at least…” Proletious said as he rose from the chair, “Leave your belongings if you want, it doesn’t bother me…” Hoots said, Proletious nodded and wordlessly left.

Downstairs, Proletious sits down in a chair at the dining table, the pain in his muscles making it harder now to walk further. He rests his back and grunts softly, in discontent.

“Are you ok?” Angus asks, his voice very soft but Proletious can tell it’s still mildly hoarse, he forces a small smile “Yes my boy, I am…”.

“You certainly don’t look like it…” Ralathor says, unconvinced, to which he is earned a tired sigh.

“Take it easy old friend, we don’t want you to break yourself…” Zargothrax says as he puts a plate of breakfast in front of Proletious.

Proletious raises an eyebrow “You all call me _old_ as if I am one thousand years old… when in fact I am half your ages combined” He says to Ralathor and Zargothrax.

“While that may be true for Ralathor, Hoots, and myself… you’re still old for a mortal and must take care of yourself…” Zargothrax states, as he moves behind Proletious, he works on the man’s shoulders to help ease the tension.

A soft groan of content is earned from Proletious, he hears the man sigh underneath “Being fifty-six is still young though…” he says

“Where I mortal, I’d be tempted to call you my _grandfather_ ….” Ralathor teased

Angus quietly laughed when he saw Ser Proletious shoot the wizard a warning glare.

\- - -

Late afternoon and the sun had already set, Proletious could tell that his muscle aches were not getting better by the passing hours, he decided to take a painkiller and some water, praying that it would be enough to numb it so that he could at least take care of Hoots tonight.

“You look worse Ser…” Angus spoke, as he sat next to his friend on the couch. Proletious turned his head to face him, he angled himself in a way that would help ease the pain on his back “I know…. And it’ll only get worse tomorrow…” he admitted.

“Do you want me to check on you and Hoots tomorrow?” he asks

“No-, you should rest, let the other’s-“

“Ralathor and Zargothrax will be a bit busier tomorrow, they’re making more medicine in advance for you and themselves, they’ve actually asked me to watch over you two, as best as I can, given I’m still recovering…” Angus explains

Proletious throws his head back and sighs “Very well then…”

“We should go upstairs, it’s getting late…” Angus comments as he looks outside one of the cabin windows.

“Then, would you be so kind as to help me to my room, please?” Proletious asks

“What about Hoots and his medicine?”

“I already gave him two dosages before he went to bed, his last one will be in about two hours from now, but I don’t feel like I can stay at that desk again, the pain is going to kill me…” he confesses

Angus hums “Alright…” and he gets up, helping him to his bedroom upstairs.

While everyone was asleep and resting, Angus kept his promise and checked on Hoots roughly two hours later, at least he hoped that much time had passed, and gave him his last dosage of medicine, before he too made it back to his room, took his own medicine and fell back asleep.

\- - -

In the morning, it didn’t surprise Angus, when he found Ser Proletious pale, with a raging fever and unconscious in his bed.

Angus quietly bit his lip and did his best to keep him company and to help aid the unconscious older man. He hoped that Ralathor and Zargothrax would be done soon with making the medicine.

He took to tending both of individuals and himself, giving Hoots his medicine, him drinking his own, and then going to Ser Proletious to do what he could.

After it all, Angus managed to tire himself out and collapsed on a chair nearby, breathing hard, as he was all out of breath.

He heard footsteps coming upstairs and when the two figures entered, Angus smiled to himself “W-welcome b-back…” he panted out, very tired.

“Wore yourself out, did you?” Ralathor asks, checking on Angus as Zargothrax took care of Proletious for the moment.

Angus nods, too tired to speak, “Let’s get you to bed, I’ll check on Hoots and then work on Proletious…”

Angus could only nod again as he was ushered to his own room, and then placed in the bed, it didn’t take much for Angus to quickly fall back asleep.

Ralathor quietly left the room and entered Hoots’, he found the blonde also fast asleep and noted that the vile filled with medicinal liquid looked slightly lower than before, Angus must’ve already given him his medicine, so he decides to leave the room as well.

When he re-enters Ser Proletious’ room, he notices that he’s been propped up, “How is he?” he asks

“He’ll be fine, like the others, I’m just worried about the muscular aches that he’s experiencing… they really seem to take a lot out of him…” he says, clearly very worried to Ralathor.

Ralathor sighs and thinks, running a hand through his hair, “You know what would probably work?” he begins, Zargothrax raises an eyebrow “What?”

“An ointment of sorts, for muscular aches…” he suggests

“How?”

“Well, so long as it contains salicylates, camphor, and menthol it should help since the cream would provide a sort of cooling effect to relax the muscles and help ease the ache, and then a heating effect to further help ease the pain…” Ralathor explains

“And you think that'll work?” Zargothrax inquires

“Think? No… I know it’ll work…” Ralathor admits

“How so?”

“Although I’m not as adept as you are with healing magic, I do study medicinal journals and do know how to make salves, I also know that you understand how to make salves as well…” Ralathor states

Zargothrax nods “Hmm, very well then, that is useful…” he admits, “I can get started on that, immediately, stay here and keep an eye on him, he’ll wake up soon enough and should at least take his first dosage of medicine.

“Understood,” Ralathor says, as he grabs a chair to go sit down next to Proletious, Zargothrax leaving the room.

He watches Proletious breath as he sleeps, it’s very irregular, one minute he seems to have had relaxed, when he notices his frown and a wave of pain hit him, causing an intake of oxygen and some light squirming.

Ralathor sighed, whatever this virus was, whether it be something small or something that could’ve been worse, he’s just thankful for the fact that it doesn’t seem to last very long.

He also knew that he’d be the next to fall ill, and with Zargothrax being the last to fall, he will have to work harder than he’s ever worked in his life to tend to him when it comes to that.

A few hours later, Zargothrax came into the room to find Ralathor fast asleep in a chair, his arms crossed and head fallen forward. He knew that his friend would have a horrible kink in his neck if he let him continue sleeping like that.

Zargothrax gently shook him awake, Ralathor woke, with a soft grunt “What’s wrong?” he asks, still groggy.

“Nothing, everything’s fine, you just need to be awake, you can’t fall asleep like that…” he says and then turns to Proletious, he gently nudges the man awake, and when he finally opens his eyes, he can see just how exhausted he is.

“Easy friend, I’ve got something that’ll help with your muscular ache…”

“Can you sit up?” he asks, Ser Proletious shakes his head, he’s far too tired and weak to sit up, “Ralathor, come, you’ll need to help me”

Ralathor quickly moves over to the bed, taking off his shoes as he hops in, “Prop him up as best you can…” and he does as he’s told, gently helping Proletious sit up, until he’s as straight as he can be, the man leaning onto him for support.

Zargothrax wordlessly opened Proletious’ sleeping shirt and started to gently rub the cream all over the man’s chest, Ser gasped in surprise at the coldness of the cream, but quickly seemed to relax once the cream took its effects.

“I can hold him from the front, you should apply the cream on his back now…” Zargothrax told as he handed a bowl of the cream over to Ralathor, wiping his hands with a dry rag.

Ralathor nodded and gently took the man’s shirt off, and applied the same cream on Ser’s back now, a similar gasp following suit.

Once it was all done, Proletious had been dressed again and laid down into his bed, he’d also been given his first dosage of medicine, the blanket placed on him to keep him warm, Ralathor wiped his hands now.

“Alright, you should keep that with you, since you’ll be taking care of him… should he need it again, just come wake me and I can help you apply it again.”

Ralathor sighed and nodded “Thank you”

“No, thank you, had you not suggested this, I wouldn’t have thought about it.”

\- - -

Nightfall once again, and Ser Proletious had only been awakened twice to be given his other two dosages of the medicine.

Ralathor had fallen asleep by the desk of Ser Proletious’ room, while he was reading about different types of viral infections, the common cold, how they happen, and how they can be treated, in a medical journal book.

Proletious woke up with a pained groan, “Ral….Ralathor…” he weakly called out.

Ralathor woke up, as soon as he heard the disturbance, he rubbed his eyes and made his way to his friend, “Yes? What’s wrong?” he gently asked

“It hurts” he groaned, squirming underneath the covers, “It hurts to breathe” his voice weak.

He nodded “I got it, hold on, let me get Zargothrax” Ralathor quickly left the room and entered Zargothrax’s, accidentally opening the door too quickly, it makes a loud noise that woke the other wizard.

A sleepy groan “Right, right, give me a second” he heard him say, as he got up from his bed and made it over to Ralathor.

Together they go back to Ser Proletious’ room, who is now coughing up a storm and groaning in pain, they work together to quickly apply the cream over Proletious’ back.

Proletious meanwhile was crying softly, the pain was getting to be too much for him, and it hurt far too much to move and speak.

When it was done, they both helped Ser get back into the warm covers of his bed.

Ralathor was the first to notice the tears, he made sure to wipe his hands thoroughly before he went to grab a handkerchief, he gently wiped the other’s tears and held his hand.

A gentle but reassuring squeeze was all he gave, “Be strong, friend, you’ll make it…” he says. Proletious nods, as he blows his nose with his other free hand, his head pounding as he does so, a migraine slowly coming to forth.

Zargothrax leaves once again, reassuring Ralathor that should he need him again, he is there. Ralathor nods and makes his way back to the desk, and continues from where he once left off with the various journals and books laid on the desk, he quietly read with a candlelit besides him.

\- - -

As morning came, Ralathor woke up, noticing a burning sensation in his chest, he suppressed a cough and get up from the chair quietly and made his way to Proletious’ side.

He noticed that the man was peacefully sleeping and decided against waking him up for his medicine, he decided that it’d be best for him to get some more rest, as last night he could hear him squirming around a lot.

Ralathor quickly catches himself, preventing a cough from coming out.

He makes his way out of the room, and closes the door, he practically sprints to his room and shuts the door, coughing in there. His lungs feel like their burning, and he can already feel himself becoming dizzy.

He moves away from the door and sat on the floor, holding his head as he let out another body wracking cough.


	3. Could this be called hell?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This time, Ser Proletious has fallen ill and has to be taken care of by friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We continue from where we left off with Ser Proletious being ill...

Ralathor coughed violently again, his lungs felt like they were on fire and his chest ached.

His door opened and in came a worried Angus, “Are you ok?” he made it over to Ralathor’s side.

Ralathor coughed so hard that Angus was afraid that the man would end up coughing up his lungs. “It's ok, you’ll pull through” Angus’ gentle words did nothing to ease the burning sensation within Ralathor’s lungs.

Angus didn’t know what to do, so he gently massaged Ralathor’s back with one hand, he hoped that the gesture was appreciated.

Ralathor coughed again, and leaned back into Angus, forcing him to stop the motion, Ralathor was sweating profusely “Za-Zargothrax... I…” Angus stopped him, “I’ll go get him, you need to rest” he spoke as he got up and helped Ralathor to his bed.

Angus momentarily left the room and then came back with Zargothrax, and they quickly they were both at his side, Zargothrax had helped him sit up and remove the uniform jacket that Ralathor wore, thankfully he had on an undershirt underneath, then came the pants, which were then replaced with sleeping pants.

Ralathor was thankful for the help that his comrades provided him with, he tried to say something but was promptly stopped by a horrible cough that shook him so hard, he had to go into the fetal position.

“Angus, go check on Hoots and Ser Proletious for me and go see how their doing…” he asked the young prince

He nodded and go up, leaving the room. As Angus reached Hoot’s room, he found the blonde standing up and stretching, “Oh, do you feel better?” he asked, surprised.

“Surprisingly yes, but I don’t feel like moving around too much or overexerting myself…” he added

“Got it”

“So, what are you up to?” he asked

“Zargothrax sent me to go check on you and Ser-“

“Ralathor caught it too?”

a nod, “and it’s bad, he’s coughing really hard and can barely speak…”

Hoots’ usual smile faltered, “Divines be damned…” he spoke, running a hand through his beard.

“Come, let’s go see how Proletious is doing” Angus directed

As they walked into the Knight of Crail’s room, they spotted him sitting up slightly and he seemed significantly relaxed.

“How are you doing, old friend?” Hoots inquires

Ser Proletious turns his head in surprise, and smiles at the duo, he gives them a thumb up.

“Can you speak?” Angus asks, worried

Ser Proletious motions to his throat and with a hand do a scratching motion, and another movement that could be deciphered as the action of hurting, “[MY THROAT, IT HURTS, SORE]”.

They nod, acknowledging what he said, “Here, you should take this…” spoke hoots who grabbed the medicine and gave Proletious his first dosage as of today.

“So, Angus do you want to fill him in on what’s happening?” Hoots says

“Oh, yeah!” he turns to Proletious “Looks like Ralathor’s sick, so Zargothrax is currently taking care of him, and I’m assuming that he’ll be busy all day today, so we two will have to take care of each other, really…” Angus finishes

Proletious sighs but nods, understanding what was said.

“I can go get something small to eat for all three of us,” Hoots says, “What do you boys want to eat?”

“Bread and a cup of juice, please, and just plain bread…” Angus says

Proletious nods and points at Angus and then himself, as if to say “[SAME]”.

Hoots nods and heads downstairs, when he comes back up, he’s brought a small tray containing three slices of plain bread and three cups of fruit juice. They all sit down to eat in silence, “Who’ll make dinner if Zargothrax can’t?” Angus asks aloud

“I can see if I can make some omelets if that’s ok…?” Hoots answers, the other two nods.

Together they sit in silence, enjoying each other’s company as they eat their breakfast.

In a different room, a different story was unfolding, while tending to Ralathor, Zargothrax had managed to give him every bit of medicine that he would need, which was splendid, as he saw him loose consciousness and blackout due to dizziness when it was all said and done.

Now, with Ralathor under strict bed rest orders, and being unable to help him, Zargothrax knew that he’d have to work quickly today to get the final bits of medicine and medical equipment ready in case of an emergency.

He left the room and made his way to where the trio currently where, upon opening the door he sighs in relief to see them all doing much better. “Ah, so how are you all holding up?”, Zargothrax received varied replies to ‘feeling better’ but hey, at least they were feeling better.

“Good… well, I’ve got further news for today…” Zargothrax began “As you might’ve already heard, Ralathor has fallen severely ill and it’s up to me to care for him, that means that Angus and Hoots if you two can, and I mean without wearing yourselves out, you two are in charge of taking care of each other…” he sighed before continuing.

“…because by tomorrow, I might start to not feel well, and it’ll only be a matter of time till I’ll be bedridden, so please, remember to take your medicines and take care of yourselves, please.” He asks of them, to which they all nod.

\- - -

Dinner had come and go, and much like Angus had asked, Zargothrax was far too busy to do dinner tonight so Hoots took it upon himself to make omelets for the four of them.

Ralathor had awoken at some point but only to take his medicine again and then pass out cold.

The three men who were recovering from their illness were currently in Ser Proletious’ room playing cards, so as to pass the time.

“Go fish,” Angus said

“Damn it” Hoots groaned, picking up yet another card

Proletious snickered softly, as he put down his cards again.

“No way! Again?” Angus called out

“He’s cheating, I swear!” Hoots hollers with a light laugh

Proletious smiles cheekily, as he wins his second game of the day.

Angus chuckles and then sighs happily, “Something you thinkin’ of?” Hoots asks

Angus shakes his head, “Oh, no, not really… now come on! I want a re-match! There’s no way, I’m losing to a Knight of Crail!” he exclaimed as he got to re-shuffling the cards.

\- - -

As the moon rose again, all the boys had gone to their beds, after taking their medication and helping Proletious with his ointment.

They were passed out cold, which was a good thing Zargothrax had thought to himself, ‘ _They’ll need all the strength they can get…’_ he sighed as he finally made it back to his own room after finishing tending to Ralathor, he took off his clothes and changed into his PJs.

He crashed into the bed as he felt a distinct feeling of inexplicable exhaustion overtake him.


	4. Please, let this be over soon…

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This time, we see how Ralathor and Zargothrax deal with being sick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We continue from where we last left off with Ralathor being sick...

The next morning, Ralathor was visited by Hoots, and he was found to be more alert than yesterday but still incredibly fatigued. He was given his medicine and whatever else he required, told to go back to sleep and just rest, and asked if he would be hungry later.

Ralathor replied with uncertainty, Hoots nodded and told him that he’ll leave something for him, should he change his mind later.

Angus meanwhile, preoccupied himself with Ser Proletious, they both took their medications and tended to each other’s needs.

Strangely enough, after a few hours, it dawned on the trio that they haven’t seen Zargothrax at all today, and they all knew why.

Hoots was the first to enter his room and he found the man passed out cold and to no one’s surprise, with a fever. When Angus came into the room after taking care of Proletious, he and hoots worked together to help their ill friend get changed into much more comfortable clothes and place a cold wet rag on his head.

They left the room and split off once more, Hoots going to Proletious’ side and Angus to check on Ralathor, when he found the other wizard still asleep and peacefully resting, he left once more to join his friends again.

“Well?”

“Ralathor’s fine…”

“And Zargothrax?” Ser Proletious asked

“Ill, like the rest of us… no surprise there…” Hoots answered

“You do know that I can still help you two with anything you need?” Proletious told

“Old friend, you can barely sit up without assistance because of the muscular aches…” Hoots retorted

Ser Proletious sighed “I-…. yes… It’s just that it’s so _dreadfully_ boring to be in bed like this…” he confessed

“Well, think of it this way…” Angus began “… You keep taking your meds and keep putting on the ointment, and eventually, it’ll all get better and you will be able to help us, in the meantime since Hoots and I are the only two that are slowly starting to feel better and better with each passing day, we’re in charge of everyone…” Angus explained

Proletious could only nod, he did have a point, it was all for the better, after all.

\- - -

Dinner was uneventful for the trio, it felt very… _very_ out of place to eat dinner and not have the other two with them.

Almost as if they were missing a piece to the puzzle.

“I miss them…” sighed Angus

The other two nodded solemnly in silent agreement, it wasn’t the same without them.

“I don’t know what I would do with myself if I didn’t have any of you…” Angus quietly confessed, his usual happy-go-lucky self with the adorable boyish smile fading into a sad frown.

Hoots and Ser Proletious gently hugged him, “That won’t ever happen, Angus…” Proletious eased his worried friend

“Yeah, he’s right, we’ll always be here for each other…” Hoots added on

Angus nodded, a smile forming once more as he quickly wiped away a tear.

He was so grateful to the divines above that he had such wonderful and caring friends.

\- - -

The day practically flew by like a breeze, it was now two hours past noon and Angus was with Ser Proletious reading together as he had gone earlier to check on Ralathor and give him another dose of medicine and to tend to his needs.

Hoots was with Zargothrax who’s throat was raw and couldn’t speak, incredibly lightheaded and overall fatigued. Hoots gave him his medicine and watched over him until he fell asleep to give him some much-needed comfort.

Hoots made his way to the other two.

“How’s he holding up?” Angus asks

“Well, he’s still very lightheaded, with a sore throat, and very tired... So, not much change, really…” Hoots noted

Angus sighed “I hope he’ll get better…”

“There’s a chance he’ll improve overnight-into-tomorrow…” Proletious thought “…I mean, we three have…”

Oh, yeah!

That’s very true!

“I guess that we’ll just have to wait and see…” Angus said as he laid on a pillow

\- - -

At night, with everyone already fast asleep and everyone took their medication, the only thing left to do was to just wake up every three hours for both Hoots and Angus to give their wizard companions their medications.

\- - -

The following day, Angus and Hoots feeling substantially better than they had been last week, they attributed this to the help of the medicine and their immune system fighting off the flu.

Angus went to check on Proletious who was also awake, he could tell that he looked significantly better than the past few days, but thought that he should still rest and finish his medicine.

“Hey, you look better,” Angus said with a bright smile, Proletious chuckled and smiled in return “Yes, thankfully…” he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Did you check on the others?” he asked

Angus shook his head “No, I didn’t, thanks for reminding me!” he exclaimed as he left the room and went to go check on Ralathor.

As Angus entered the room quietly, he saw Ralathor who was sitting upright, with his pillows behind him helping him sit up as he read a book. “Good morning…” Angus spoke softly with a smile.

Ralathor looked up from his book and when he saw Angus he gave a tired sigh but smiled back albeit weakly. “How do you feel?” he asked.

“Like I went through hell…” Ralathor admits

Angus nodded as he stepped inside the room, closing the door behind him, “Did you manage to take your medicine?”

He nodded “Yeah, but only the first dosage….” He thought for a minute “…about… three hours ago?”

“Oh good, then you’ll need to take the next one” Angus explained cheerfully, as he grabbed the vile and spoon.

He dripped some of the liquid onto the spoon and then moved it close to Ralathor’s mouth, “Ahhh~!” Angus spoke, stifling a small laugh.

Ralathor blushed in embarrassment but decided against speaking back, he merely opened his mouth and took the spoonful of medicine. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, “Thank you…” was all he said as he turned back to his book.

Angus smiled softly, he knew that Ralathor was easy to get embarrassed and was the type of man to say _‘no, I don’t need your help…’_ even when he clearly needs it, but he knew that his friend needed him, he just had a hard time expressing it.

Angus got close and gave the man a quick hug, so as to not bother him, and turned to leave.

“I-…” Ralathor spoke, he stopped himself.

“Hmm? Something wrong?” Angus asked, wondering if he needed anything more.

Ralathor couldn’t meet Angus’ gaze as he spoke, “Don’t leave…” he paused “I-…can you…keep me company?”. Ralathor would rather metaphorically die, than confess to Angus that he felt incredibly lonely, now more than ever since he was sick and bedridden. He desperately wanted to have someone near him, to have human contact.

Angus nodded “Of course…” and walked back towards Ralathor, he grabbed himself a seat and sat next to his bed. “Anything you want to talk about?”

Ralathor looked over at him, “Yeah, tell me how are the others and what happened from when I blacked out until now…”

Angus nodded once again “Alright…”

And thus, began the long explanation.

In a different room, Hoots was tending to Zargothrax, who had recently gained enough strength to stay awake for a few more hours at a time. Still, he was far from being healthy as the others, but it was slow and painful progress, one that the others were going to make sure he pulled through from.

“Morning” spoke Hoots, voice low to keep from startling him

Zargothrax coughed and turned to look over at him, “You look like hell…” Hoots mused

Zargothrax managed a smile “Feel like it too…”

“Alright, I got your medicine… You want to stay laying down or want me to prop you up a bit?” he asked

Zargothrax shook his head gently, “Too dizzy to sit up, I’ll just…” he gently rose slightly from the bed, propping himself with his elbows. “Here…”

“Got’ya” Hoots spoke, as he quickly gave him his first spoonful of medicine.

Zargothrax laid back down, a brief wave of dizziness hitting him, he groaned in discontent.

Hoots grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, “Keep me company?” Zargothrax asked

“ ‘til you fall asleep?” Hoots asked for confirmation

A nod

And so, he stayed.


	5. And so, we come to the finale…

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And this, reader, is where we part ways... till the next story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the finale! ;)

Fast forward a week since the ill-fated incident (no pun intended) of everyone getting sick, and here we finally see Angus Mcfife XIII, Ser Proletious and The Hootsman doing much better, health wise at least.

Between the two immortal wizards, Ralathor is the one who is doing slightly better, with his body fighting off the infection albeit a bit slower than the rest, his coughing fits have decreased significantly and he’s able to be out of bed for small periods of time to enjoy himself with copious amounts of reading material.

Zargothrax is the one who is doing still a bit poorly, but considering how he was when he first got sick? He’s doing _much_ better. He’s only allowed out of his bed for an hour and a half each day for two times, although in truth, it varies on whether or not he feels good to get up and wander around.

Hoots is in charge of taking care of Zargothrax, he mainly sticks by his side like glue while he’s away from his bed, when confined to his room, Hoots gives him company and tells him of the various shenanigans that he and Angus have gotten into in the past.

Meanwhile, Angus is in charge of taking care of Ralathor, he’ll mostly give him any new reading materials that he requests as well as draping a nice thick blanked on his shoulders accompanied by a nice big mug of the wizards’ favorite tea.

Ser Proletious has been in charge of conducting the meals as of late, mostly because he himself doesn’t trust Angus to cook, and he prefers his own cooking over Hoots’.

Although, let’s be honest, _no one’s_ cooking can match Zargothrax’s.

“So, what’ll happen now?” asks Zargorthrax, who is sitting bundled up in various thick blankets to keep warm.

“I think that our best bet, instead of finding a doctor, would be to just help you two go through the illness and wait for at least another week, and see if anything happens, if we have another flare up, I could run to the village and see if there is a doctor, and ask them to help us with what’s happening…”

“Or?” Angus asks, as he massages Ralathor’s sore back

“Or… if nothing happens to any of us and there are no flare ups, then I suppose that we will all be fine…” Ser Proletious analyzed.

Zargothrax nodded, understanding what he said as a cough followed suit.

Hoots sat down next to Zargothrax, a mug of tea in hand, he handed it to the wizard, “drink, it’ll ease your throat…” he spoke gently.

“So, we just sit here and wait, really?” Angus asked, to confirm what he heard.

“Seems like it” Ralathor spoke up

“Unfortunately,” added Proletious

And that is what they did.

\- - -

After a whole week had gone by, Zargothrax and Ralathor had finally healed from their ailment and no one in the group had suffered another flare up, all was well and healthy as could be.

Although, some very strict changes were implemented by Zargothrax and Ralathor, such as:

the buying of thicker winter coats, always having medicine and food at the ready. If you’re going to go out of the house, let it _not_ be during a snow storm, or _any_ storm for that matter, and to always have a buddy with you to help ease and quicken things.

Everyone agreed to the terms that were set in place, and all vowed to never have a repeat of the situation.


End file.
